Lauren has a lab that leaps. Girlfriend, you may find com fort in knowing that you are not alone. Many dogs have the bad habit of jumping up on people, especially when they enter through the main door of the family home. Watch how dogs greet one another; this is usually achieved by a quick sniff around the head. Subsequently, jumping up on a person seems to be a modification of this instinctive dogto-dog greeting. Although this behav ior can be a fun and acceptable activity for the right person, it can become problem atic with strangers or when you are dressed up. As a general rule, I maintain that pawprint motif fabric is only fashionable for little kids and cat people.

It is always a good idea to train your dog NOT to greet people by jumping up on them. Appropriate and satisfying greetings between dogs and people can be achieved using alternate methods.

Lauren, here are a few approach es you can try to undo your leapin' lab's undesirable habit of jumping on people.

1.) Ignore the dog.

While she's hopping, you stand perfectly still. Don't acknowledge her behavior in the slightest way. Don't even make eye contact. Turn around away from her if she per sists. When she finally stops jump ing, ask her firmly to `` sit'' and then crouch down to her level to pat and greet her, all the while praising her ladylike behavior. If she refuses to stop jumping while you are ignoring her, interrupt her behavior by telling her to `` sit,'' and then reward her behavior with lavish praise.

2.) Command the dog.

You will need a team effort for this. One person commands the dog to sit in the presence of a second at the door. Both people praise her for sitting and she receives affection only while keeping her tush planted on the floor.

I suggest using this technique every time people come to the door. In severe cases, it may be wise to begin with the dog on a leash in order to keep some control of her in the presence of the second person.

Command your dog to `` sit'' and `` stay'' by your side while opening the door or upon the entrance of the second person. Praise your princess copiously for being such a royal subject. This exercise takes a bit of work, buy yields wonderful results not only at home, but can also be used while interacting in public areas as well.

3.) Back away from the mugging. When you see your dog in mid-air about to land her paws on you, take a step backward and say `` off.'' This disrupts the jig, causing the dog to land on the floor, thereby foiling her intended goal and creating momentary confusion. Commend her for having all four feet on the floor.

Wags, Tracie

TRACIE LALIBERTE-BAILEY of Attleboro is a professional lecturer, educator and published writer on the subject of dogs. She is pursuing a doctoral degree on the human-canine bond. You can contact her with any dog-related questions at tracie(at)(at)dogpawse.com.